When the River Calls
A Novel Study
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TEACHING NOTES
WHEN THE RIVER CALLS
NOVEL STUDY
TEACHING NOTES
SECTION
CONCEPT/ ACTIVITY
Chapters 1-5
Chapters 6-10
Chapters 11-15
Chapters 16-20
Chapters 21-25
Chapters 26-30
Chapters 31-35
Chapters 36-40
Chapters 41-45
Chapters 46-50
Chapters 51-55
Characters and Character Traits
Figurative Language
Point of View
Foreshadowing
Cliffhanger Chapter Endings
Flashback
Figurative Language
Setting
Character Types
Plot and Conflict
Theme
PAGE
3
3
4
4
4
5
5
5
6
7
9
Novel Study, When the River Calls
P. 3
CH APT ERS 1 ² 5
CHARACTERIZATION
Characters are who the story is about. We learn about them in two ways.
1. Dialogue (what they say)
2. Action (what they do)
CH APT ERS 6 ² 10
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Figurative language is when words are used in a way that is not literally accurate in order to create a
special meaning or effect.
Study the figurative language chart below to learn the names of six kinds of figurative language.
FIGURE
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
Irony
Hyperbole
Litotes
DEFINITION
A sim ile is a com parison between two
unlike things that have som ething in
com m on. A sim ile always uses the
words like or as to m ake the
com parison.
A m etaphor is a com parison of two
unlike things that have som ething in
com m on. The com parison does not
use like or as. Instead, it says that
one thing is som ething else.
Personification is when the author
speaks of an idea, object, or anim al as
if it were a person.
Irony is saying one thing, but m eaning
the opposite.
Hyperbole is an exaggeration, usually
to m ake a point.
Litotes is a deliberate understatem ent
of som ething the reader knows could
really be said in a stronger way.
EXAMPLE
P. 39. Then it raised an arm, pointing at
me like the specter of doom.
P. 52. ,¶PKXQJU\as a baby bird.
S«the rafters above me were
pillars of black night.
P. 36. The sun hooked a tentative
fingernail over the edge of the horizon.
P. 42. ³,FDQVHH\RX¶OOEHa lot of
KHOS´ I said sarcastically. (She really
meaQVKH¶OOEHQRKHOSDWDOO
P. 38. What I saw stopped me dead in
my tracks. 6KHZDVQ¶WUHDOO\GHDG
P. 134. :HFDPHWRVHHKRZ\RX¶UH
doing, Paul. (Actually, she loves him,
and was afraid he was in trouble.)
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Novel Study, When the River Calls
P. 4
CH APT ERS 11 ² 15
POINT OF VIEW
Point of view refers to which character the author uses to tell the story.
First Person Point of View: This is when the author writes as if s/he is a character in the story.
First person can be recognized because the narrator uses the word "I". For example, ³,ZDONHGLQWRWKH
room, and discovered a dead body. Yelling in fear, I jumped out the window and raQ´
Second Person Point of View: This is when the narrator speaks directly to the reader. For
example, ³<RXZDONLQWRWKHURRPDQGGLVFRYHUDGHDGERG\<HOOLQJLQIHDU\RXjump out the
ZLQGRZDQGUXQ´ This point of view is hardly ever used in fiction.
Third Person Point of View: This is when the narrator is not actually in the story, but tells it as if
looking over the whole thing from the outside. ³*HRUJHZDONHGLQWRWKHURRPDQGGLVFRYHUHGDGHDG
body. Yelling in fear, he jumped out the ZLQGRZDQGUDQ´
CHAPTERS 16 ² 20
FORESHADOWING
Foreshadowing is when the author gives the reader hints and clues about what will happen next,
though the reader does not always notice them at first. These hints can make the things that happen
laterULQJWUXHVRWKHUHDGHUPLJKWWKLQN³2IFRXUVH,VKRXOGKDYHNQRZQ´ Here¶s an example: The
little boy was enjoying a sunshiny day on the farm -- until he noticed a big dog looking at him.
Suddenly, the air felt cold. This would be foreshadowing if the dog attacks the boy later on.
CHAPTERS 21 ² 25
CLIFFHANGER CHAPTER ENDINGS
It is important for authors to keep a reader interested in the story. One technique for doing this is to
create suspense with cliffhanger chapter endings, which leave the reader wondering what will happen
QH[W7KHQDPHFOLIIKDQJHUFRPHVIURPDW\SHRIPRYLHIURPWKH¶VWKDWVRPHWLPHVHQGHGZLWKD
character actually hanging over the edge of a cliff. To find out if the character would survive, the
audience would have to come back to see the next movie.
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Novel Study, When the River Calls
FLASHBACK
P. 5
CHAPTERS 26 ² 30
Flashback is a storytelling technique used to show events that have happened before. It can be done
through narration or dialogue. Below are four uses of flashback:
1. In a sequel it can remind the reader of something that happened in an earlier novel.
2. It can let one character bring another character up to speed on what has happened somewhere else in
the story, or before the story has begun.
3. It can let the narrator tell the reader what has just happened when the author does not want to make
it into its own scene. This helps keep the story moving forward quickly.
4. It can give information or background that helps the reader understand a setting (like the town of
Fort Benton), a character (like Carson Tate) or a situation.
CHAPTERS 31 ² 35
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
(See information from Chapters 6 ± 10 section.)
CHAPTERS 36 ² 40
SETTING
Two categories of setting are:
1. Geographical Setting: This is where the story takes place. Depending on how specific the author
makes it, it can be identified by such places as country, city, rural area, or even a particular building or
a room in a house.
2. Chronological Setting: This is when the story takes place. Depending on how specific the author
makes it, it can be identified by such time periods as a century, decade, year, month, day, or even a few
hours within a day.
Setting is important because it affects how the characters will act. For instance, a story about a
person trying to survive in a storm on a mountain cannot be the same story in the middle of a city.
Because setting affects how people act, stories that take place on a Hutterite colony, or in a university,
or in a drug den, or on a western ranch, or in the middle of a city, will have to be different from one
another. Also, a story that takes place in modern times will have to be different, in some ways, than
one that takes place long ago.
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Novel Study, When the River Calls
P. 6
CHAPTERS 41 ² 45
CHARACTER TYPES
There are different kinds of characters, and different ways of presenting them to the reader.
Kinds of character:
1. Flat: Flat characters are characters the author does not develop very much. They always act in the
same predictable way. For example they may be good or evil, and everything they do will reflect that
characteristic. Real people usually have a little of each in them. Good people sometimes do bad
things, and evil people sometimes do good things, but flat characters usually behave in only one way.
Flat characters can also be people like a butler, a nurse, a blabbermouth, a bragger, or any kind of
person not developed beyond a single characteristic. You can usually sum up what these characters are
like in one sentence.
2. Round: Round characters are more realistic and well developed. Like real people, they are
complicated, and they do not always act in exactly the same way. They act like individuals, and can be
full of surprises, doing things that you wouldn't expect. Because they are complex, it can be difficult
to describe what these characters are like.
3. Static: Static characters can be either flat or round, but what makes them static is that they do
not change in the story. The way they are at the beginning is how they are at the end. They have not
learned lessons that change the way they act or think.
4. Dynamic: Dynamic characters are characters who change during the story. By the end, they are
different than they were at the beginning. They may have learned something that changes the way they
think or behave. The change can be good or bad. For instance a character who is prejudiced against a
certain race of people might learn to value them as fellow human beings. Or maybe a person who has
lots of fun and loves life could be turned into a sadder, quieter person because of some bad things that
happen.
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Novel Study, When the River Calls
PLOT AND CONFLICT
P. 7
CHAPTERS 46 ² 50
Plot is the events that happen in a story. Plot is more about what happens than why.
One way to study plot is to look at conflict, because without conflict there cannot be much story.
Conflict puts the protagonist against an antagonist.
Protagonist: This is the main character. This is the character who the story follows as he/she tries to
accomplish a goal. The protagonist can be either good or evil.
Antagonist: This is the force that goes against the protagonist. An antagonist can be a person,
society, or even something in the protagonist him/herself (like alcoholism or uncontrolled anger).
Three ways to name Conflict:
· Person vs Person (sometimes called man against man)
o This is when another person is against the protagonist.
· Person vs the Environment (sometimes called man vs environment)
o This is when nature (like storms), or society, or even fate is against the protagonist.
· Person vs Him or Herself (sometimes called man vs himself)
o This is when the character is fighting something within him/herself, such as jealousy,
alcoholism or anger. It could even be about someone who struggles to make decisions,
and never gets anything done.
Four types of Conflict:
· Physical (as in a fight)
· Mental (to do with thinking, as in a game of chess, or trying to solve a mysterious crime)
·
Emotional (Wrestling with feelings)
·
Moral (As in trying to decide what is right or wrong, and whether to do right or wrong)
PLOT DIAGRAMS
Stories usually follow a pattern that can be shown in a diagram. The three parts of the plot diagram are
·
·
·
·
·
Exposition: This is the introduction to the story. The reader finds out what is going on, and
who the characters are.
Rising Action: This is where the problems develop. The action gets more interesting and the
problems get bigger.
Climax: This is the point of the story where the emotional feelings are highest, or where the
conflict peaks.
Falling Action: When the action slows down, and events lead to the outcome of the conflict.
Often this is not needed if the story ends right after the climax.
Denouement (or Outcome): This is the closing off of the story, when everything is explained.
All the loose ends are wrapped up and the reader finds out whether the protagonist wins or
loses the conflict.
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Novel Study, When the River Calls
P. 8
PLOT DIAGRAM 1: CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN
The plot diagram is like a mountain climber. The exposition is the climber getting ready. For the
rising action, the climber is going up the hill. The top of the hill is the climax. Then the climber falls
off a cliff. This is the falling action. The denouement is when the climber hits the bottom, and it is all
over.
PLOT DIAGRAM 2: THE BOTTLENECK SHAPE
This is a simpler diagram. Every story must have three parts: a beginning, middle and end. It also
has a climax, the point of highest interest, when the problems come to a head. This is usually just
before the ending.
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Novel Study, When the River Calls
P. 9
CHAPTERS 51 ² 55
THEME
Theme is an insight or idea about life that the author examines in the story. Stories in which the
themes are important are called interpretive fiction.
As an example, let's say an author writes a story about someone who is friendly and clever, but who
lies all the time. The character might be very bright and successful; however, people eventually get
fed up with the lying. Maybe the character ends up with no friends, and no job. The theme of such a
story might be that even though lying can help a person get what she/he wants for a while, it leads to
unhappiness and ruin.
Some themes running through When the River Calls deal with the treatment of Native people in early
America, the harmful effects of abusing drugs and alcohol, the importance of faith to the Hutterites,
Hutterite pacifism, and whether God can be trusted for guidance in life.
Not all stories have a theme. Some are written strictly for entertainment, and do not examine the
concerns of real life. For example, some horror stories might be written just to give the reader a scare.
An adventure story might be full of adventure and nothing more. Some mysteries are written only for
the entertainment of catching a crook. Stories with no theme are called escape fiction. All
interpretive fiction has a theme; only some escape fiction has a theme.
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